Berger Man Accused of Beating Ex-Wife With Bar Held in Prior Assault Case

A Franklin County man accused of beating his ex-wife with a metal bar earlier this month may be charged with that crime as well as felony drug possession, authorities said.

County deputies are holding Joesph Marinaccio, 34, Berger, on a failure to appear warrant in a prior domestic assault case as they seek charges in the latest incident, according to reports.

Prosecuting Attorney Bob Parks said he was waiting to receive reports from the sheriff’s office in the Feb. 1 alleged attack.

Marinaccio’s ex-wife reported the assault Feb. 19 to the sheriff’s office after she spent several days in the hospital recovering from her injuries, Sheriff Gary Toelke said.

The woman told deputies she had gone to Marinaccio’s home on Fifth Street in Berger to get a bank card that was designated for aid for her children and after an argument began she attempted to leave. At that point, Marinaccio grabbed the metal bar and began chasing her through the house, the sheriff said.

The woman said she ran into the bathroom and fell into the bathtub where she was beaten.

While the suspect and his new girlfriend were discussing what to do with her, the victim was able to run from the home to a neighbor’s house, according to the report.

She later was taken to Hermann Area Hospital for treatment including surgery for an injury to her hand, the sheriff’s office said.

After she reported the assault, deputies began searching for Marinaccio and learned that he had left the area and traveled to Kansas City.

About 9 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 23, deputies received information that Marinaccio may have returned to his home in Berger. They surrounded the home, but the suspect refused to come out.

After they forced open a door, officers found the man in the bathroom. He had more than an ounce of suspected crystal methamphetamine in his possession, said Detective Cpl. Scott Briggs of the Franklin County Narcotics Enforcement Unit.

It’s suspected that Marinaccio brought in the suspected crystal meth from Kansas City which has become a hub for the drug that’s smuggled into the U.S. from “superlabs” in Mexico.

Briggs said that case will be submitted to the prosecutor after the drugs seized have been analyzed.

Marinaccio is being held without bond in a November 2012 case in which he is charged with felony second-degree domestic assault and misdemeanor endangering the welfare of a child, according to online court records.

Associate Circuit Judge Dave Hoven issued an arrest warrant after Marinaccio failed to appear in court Feb. 13 for a hearing in that case.

The judge later denied a request for a bond reduction and continued the case to this Thursday.